乒乓球 (pīngpāngqiú): table tennis; ping-pong

Measure Word

一场乒乓球 chǎng

Meanings

1 table tennis; ping-pong
2 ping-pong ball

Characters

乒乓

pīngpāng

ping-pong (onomatopoeia)

球

qiú

ball; sport

乒乓 is onomatopoeia for the sound of the ball bouncing back and forth. The characters literally depict a 丘 (mound) with a stroke knocked off — as if something got hit away.

Examples

你会打乒乓球吗？

Nǐ huì dǎ pīngpāngqiú ma?

Can you play table tennis?

中国的乒乓球水平世界第一。

Zhōngguó de pīngpāngqiú shuǐpíng shìjiè dì yī.

China is number one in the world at table tennis.

Tips

culture

Table tennis is China's 国球 (guóqiú, 'national sport'). In the 1970s, 乒乓外交 (pīngpāng wàijiāo, 'ping-pong diplomacy') helped thaw US-China relations when the American table tennis team was invited to China in 1971, paving the way for Nixon's historic visit.